DUSHANBE, October 27, 2010, Asia-Plus  -- Representatives of the companies put on the short list of the contenders for the development of the Konimansuri Kalon (Big Konimansur) silver deposit in the Tajik northern Sughd province have taken samples from the deposit and analysis of the geological materials will allow determining the silver content, Saidqul Eshonqulov, the first deputy head of the State Committee for Investments and State-owned Property Management (GosKomIvest), told reporters in Dushanbe on October 26.   

Eshonqulov noted that a conference to discuss conditions of the tender for development of the Konimansuri Kalon deposit took place in Dushanbe this month.

“The government working group met with representatives of the companies put on the short list of the contenders for the development of the deposit to discuss a draft agreement that will be signed with the winner of the contract for development of the Konimansuri Kalon deposit,” Eshonqulov noted.

According to him, the companies will submit their bids for consideration to the Tajik government until the end of this year and the agreement will be signed at the beginning of 2011.

We will recall that the tender for development of the Konimansuri Kalon deposit was announced in November 2009.

On March 2, 2010, the government approved the short list on March 2 and four companies are on this list, namely BHP Billion from the Netherlands, which is a leading global natural resources company, Ziti Mining, which is one of the largest Chinese gold producers, Sichuan Group Ltd (JNMC), which is largest Chinese nickel and cobalt producer, and a consortium that groups Kasson (Kazakhstan), Glenmore International (Switzerland), Konimansur (Kazakhstan) and ore refinery Adrasman (Tajikistan).

The Konimansuri Kalon in Asht district, Sughd province is estimated to contain around 1 billion tons of ore and according to expert estimates, one ton of the deposit''s ore contained around 49 grams of silver, with 0.38 percent zinc and 0.49 percent lead.

The Konimansuri Kalon silver deposit project is expected to generate significant benefits for the country and help strengthen Tajikistan’s fiscal resources.  The project is a key part of the government’s strategy to attract private investment and introduce best practices in procurement.  Although Tajikistan has rich deposits of minerals, its remote geographic location and low levels of foreign investment have impeded the development of the mining sector.